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Womens rights

President Macron speaks out on sexual consent, menopause and fertility

‘Every woman should have free use of her body…but the poor organisation of our society must not prevent people from having children if they so wish’, he says

Women given right to vote in France 80 years ago

It came a full 96 years after suffrage was extended to all men in France - and 51 years after New Zealand offered the vote to its women

Can you name the seven women honoured in France’s Pantheon?

Some shaped the modern world and others fought in the shadows

news

Macron wants abortion access inscribed in EU charter of rights

France becomes first country to explicitly guarantee freedom to abortion in constitution

Marguerite Durand: the force of France’s first feminist journalist

The 19th-century former actress founded a daily newspaper written and produced entirely by women

Right-to-die activist postpones death, continues campaign

Connexion caught up with right-to-die activist Jacqueline Jencquel, who we spoke to in 2018 and January 2020, just as a French erotic film came out focusing on the same subject. Liv Rowland spoke to her about her new book and to the director and star of the film.

France’s CGT elects female leader, a first in union’s 128-year history

Sophie Binet became the surprise choice to lead one of France’s best-known unions

Bra-less movement takes hold among liberated under-25s in France

Numbers of young French women leaving their bra off is on the rise. We examine the societal movements behind the trend

The only six women in history to be ‘reburied’ in the French Panthéon

We celebrate the women deemed worthy to lie in Paris’s special ‘hall of fame’

Simone Veil: a force for good, for women, for France, for all

We reveal how this formidable woman used her political career to fight for the underdog

Christmas cash aid, terror trial verdicts: The week ahead in France

We also see two very different beauty contests (one is for chickens), new grants for electronic device repairs and, of course, the France-Morocco World Cup semi-final

Exhibition honours Paris suffragettes and women’s fight for equality

We look at the display celebrating brave Parisian women who fought for women’s rights in France

Railcard sale ends, doctors to strike: The week ahead in France

We also look at President Macron’s state visit to US, the Paris Olympic ticket ballot opening and more

Take off hijabs in support of Iran protests, says French actress

Isabelle Adjani says Muslim women around the world should act in solidarity with those being ‘massacred’ for doing the same, in a statement criticised on social media

Covid lockdowns in France change women’s attitudes to bras

Lingerie companies are rethinking their more traditional structured, underwired designs following a movement towards prioritising comfort - or to no bra

French court says marital sex 'duty', wife puts case to ECHR

An appeals court said the woman’s decision not to have sex with her husband constituted a violation of the obligations of marriage, making her solely responsible for their divorce

Champions League's first female referee is French

Stéphanie Frappart will make history again when she officiates a Champions League match this week

French police ask topless sunbather to cover up

A woman sunbathing topless on a beach in France was asked by police to put her bikini top on after a family nearby complained. There is no law against topless sunbathing in France.

Haut-Rhin: the village that burnt 60 witches at the stake

We recount the dark history of the Haut-Rhin village which burnt 60 people at the stake for practising witchcraft.

Remarkable life and death of France’s ‘first feminist’

Olympe de Gouges regularly courted controversy with her politically aware writing – and she eventually went to the guillotine for calling for the re-establishment of the French monarchy

For and against: Miss France beauty pageant

Miss France: outdated or a celebration of women?

Paris pool closes due to ‘pro-burkini’ protest

A public pool in Paris closed this weekend after pro-burkini activists mounted a protest against the ban on the body-covering swimsuit, and demanding “access for all to leisure facilities”.

700 street harassment fines issued in France in a year

Behaviour such as cat-calling, making offensive comments about a person's appearance, obscene gestures, unwanted propositioning, or deliberately and insistently following someone in the street can now result in fines of between €90 and €750

French start-up installs urinals for women in Paris

New female urinals created by a French start-up have been installed in Paris in a bid to cut long waiting times for women at public toilets.

First woman referee for French Ligue 1 match

A woman has refereed a French Ligue 1 football match for the first time.

French Ligue 1 match has female referee for first time

A woman is set to referee a match for the French Ligue 1 this weekend, making her the first female referee ever to do so, the Fédération Française de Football (FFF) has confirmed.

Strasbourg and Lyon to trial women bus request stops

Women travelling on public buses after 22h in Strasbourg and Lyon will soon be allowed to ask the driver to drop them off between two stops, if it will mean that they have a shorter walk home in the dark.

French women protest for International Women’s Day

Women across France are being called on to stop work at 15h40 today (March 8) as part of a wave of protests planned to mark the 42nd annual International Women’s Day.

French firm Decathlon pulls running hijab after uproar

French sports giant Decathlon has removed its “running hijab” from shelves in France after receiving hundreds of complaints, comments, and racist messages on the issue.

Associations await decision on France sex worker law

Nine sex worker associations in France, including Médecins du Monde , are awaiting a decision from national council Le Conseil Constitutionnel on the constitutional position of prostitution in the country.

Controversial 'women over 50' author defends comments

Director and author, aged 50, describes attitude as 'a personal problem'

French director controversy over ‘women aged 50’ quip

French director and writer Yann Moix has caused controversy after saying he “could not love a 50-year-old woman” and “only goes out with Asian women”.

Gilets jaunes: Women demand peace amid police violence

Hundreds of female gilets jaunes marched to champion the power of peaceful protest this weekend, amid news of continuing police violence, and a professional boxer accused of assaulting a police officer.

Air France names first ever female director general

Air France has appointed experienced airline director Anne Rigail as its new director general, taking over from previous director Franck Terner as the first woman ever in the role.

What women wear is not up for debate

Samantha David says that women should be able to dress how they want, when they want

Hundreds march on Paris to protest domestic violence

Hundreds of people have marched this weekend to the old Palais de Justice in Paris, demanding “justice for women” and more support from the government in the fight against domestic violence.

Bordeaux celebrates its famous women

City hosts its first Journées du Matrimoine at the weekend, in conjunction with the Europe-wide Journées du Patrimoine

Women cycling ahead of Tour de France demand parity

A group of female cyclists is gaining in popularity after once again completing this year’s Tour de France one day ahead of the famous male peloton, to demand equivalent recognition for their sport.

Did you know: First French woman to get a degree

Julie Victoire Daubié was the first woman to be awarded a degree in France.

Google Doodle celebrates French pioneer

Search engine marks birth of journalist, women's rights activist and the first woman to obtain a degree in France

Government to sanction ‘unjustified’ pay gaps by 2022

Businesses with “unjustified” gaps between employees’ pay are to be sanctioned financially from 2022 onwards, the government has announced.

Césars 2018’s ‘dark humour’ on harassment scandals

The 43rd annual César awards have made a strong statement on the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc scandals, with comedian and actress Blanche Gardin performing a cutting routine on the subject.

MP denounces sexist comments on her low-cut dress

Aurore Bergé, MP in the La République en Marche party, has denounced comments she received after appearing on a TV debate as “sexist”.

Street harassment could soon be fined by up to €350

Street harassment could soon be punished by fines of between €90 and €350, if a government proposal goes ahead.

Women severely underrepresented in French media

Women are severely underrepresented in the French media, a new report has shown, accounting for only 169 of the 1,000 most-publicised figures in the press in 2017.

Miss France 2018 fights violence against women

The Miss France 2018 contest has crowned this year’s overall winner and has dedicated the event to fighting violence against women.

Thousands pay homage to French jogger Alexia Daval

Thousands of joggers across France have paid homage to Alexia Daval this weekend, the 29-year-old jogger who was found dead in a wood in the Haute-Saône on Monday.

French women opt for alternatives as Pill use drops

French women are using the contraceptive pill (the Pill) less and less as their primary method of contraception, according to a new study.

Assisted conception available to all women from 2018

Secretary of state for equality tells BFMTV decision is 'a matter of social justice'

Grande dame of politics leaves legacy of rights

French politician, Académie Française member and Auschwitz survivor Simone Veil, who died on June 30, aged 89, is to be buried in the Panthéon, a homage paid to France’s greatest citizens